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Efficacy of straight versus angled interdental brushes on interproximal tooth cleaning: a randomized controlled trial
Author(s) -
Jordan RA,
Hong HM,
Lucaciu A,
Zimmer S
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
international journal of dental hygiene
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.674
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1601-5037
pISSN - 1601-5029
DOI - 10.1111/idh.12042
Subject(s) - interdental consonant , medicine , dentistry , brush , randomized controlled trial , orthodontics , surgery , electrical engineering , engineering
Background To investigate interproximal biofilm reduction with an angled interdental brush as compared to a straight interdental brush (standard control) in a clinical, single‐centre, single‐blind, controlled, parallel‐group trial. Methods Recruitment and examinations of the subjects were performed at the Witten/Herdecke University School of Dental Medicine. 128 volunteers, aged 20–65 years, were recruited and stratified according to sex and age. Two groups with 64 subjects each used either straight (standard control) or angled (test group) handgripped interdental toothbrushes of the same bristle stiffness. After a 12‐day home‐care habituation period, participants received a professional tooth cleaning followed by a 48‐h plaque regrowth period. At the intervention appointment, plaque was recorded with a fluorescent revelator and soft tissue damage was noted ( T 0 ). Interdental brushing was performed by the participant for 2 min, and clinical parameters were recorded again ( T 1 ). The primary efficacy end point was the difference in modified Proximal Plaque Index ( mPPI ) after brushing compared to baseline. Secondary efficacy end points were mPPI differences in subgroups (anterior vs. posterior teeth; vestibular vs. oral tooth surfaces). Safety end point was the Danser gingival abrasion index (DI). Results mPPI showed lower scores after brushing within all (sub)groups ( P < 0.01). mPPI brushing efficacy (Δ T 0 − T 1 ) in subjects using straight interdental brushes was significantly higher as compared to angled interdental brushes ( P < 0.0001). Straight interdental brushes were significantly more effective in posterior teeth, when used from vestibular and from oral tooth surfaces ( P < 0.0001, P < 0.01 and P < 0.0001, respectively). No significant differences were found between the groups in anterior teeth and concerning soft tissue damage. Conclusions Straight interdental brushes may better remove plaque interproximally when compared to angled interdental brushes.